My Soapbox about MSG

MSG a.k.a. Monosodium Glutamate is a particular soapbox if you will and I’m about to explain the why! But first let me lead with some questions for all of you…. have you ever ate out at a restaurant and afterwards you notice wow why is my face or hands feeling tingly, or damn why am I having a anxiety attack (rapid heartbeat), headache out of nowhere, feeling excessively thirsty, nausea or IBS? Or later that evening you are struggling to fall asleep, wake up with stiff achy joints. mood swings the next day, brain fog? What if I told you that some if not all of these symptoms can be connected with the presence of MSG in the food? Now for everyone rocking the eye rolls, like why or how would a food additive that can contribute to adverse reactions like this even be allowed in our food? I’m bout to do what I do and walk you through a history lesson.

There was a meeting that happened back in 1948 that changed the face of food manufacturing. those decisions have created a ripple effect. The meeting brought about unveiling MSG as a food additive and guess what it’s been here to stay. There were peeps present who were representing Campbells, General Mills, Continental foods, Nestles, United Airlines Food service and the National Livestock and Meat board. The Chief Quartermaster of the U.S. Armed forces presided over this meeting. their subject of MSG was the topic of discussion and how US soldiers had noticed how it turned the Japanese food rations during WWII into better tasting rations. whole meeting lasted approximately 8 hours and the leading food manufacturing leaders were all looking at MSG for the following key promises:

improved flavor (processed foods need a boost in the favor department)
odor appeal
to suppress and mask other undesirable flavors
weaken bitterness
cover up the tin taste in canned foods (before they were lining the cans)

A side benefit for the food companies is they later realized that adding this flavor enhancer actually created people to crave the foods it was added too making people want to purchase more.

__________________________________________________

Fast forward to where we are today, the food manufacturing market is saturated with this food additive. Start checking your processed foods, it’s difficult to find one that doesn’t house it in the ingredient lists. Here are some companies and products to get you started:

chicken noodle soup (canned)
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Jimmy Dean Sausage
Swanson’s chicken broth
most spaghetti sauces
taco seasoning mixes
breads
check your gluten free products too because many of them are hiding MSG to improve the taste.
Chinese restaurants are recognized as large MSG users. People after eating the Chinese foods experienced:
severe headaches
heart palpitations
numbness and tingling (for me happens always on the face and lips prior to a massive migraine)
brain fog
vision disturbances : halos, and wavy vision like looking through water
for some IBS issues
Muscular aches or cramps

I’m convinced more people react adversely to this but have failed to connect the real source.

The truth of it though is because it is so widely used it’s like burying a drum full of toxic matter and it takes a while to contaminate the soil and ground water so to speak. The effects cumulate, so reactions can be much more subtle when you are consuming it on a day to day basis which is what makes it hard to pinpoint.

Symptoms that are on the rise… chief complaints that bring peeps into their doctors office looking for answers and relief:

Gastrointestinal issues: cramps, diarrhea, nausea, gas/bloating, insatiable appetite. MSG is a bully in the sand box and depletes the amino acid taurine which in turns impairs the production of bile from the gall bladder, It also can affect the lining of the intestinal tract causing food sensitivity responses.
Neurological symptoms: depression, mood swings, anger issues, migraine headaches, dizziness, feeling off balance, brain fog, slurring of speech, panic attacks, numbness/tingling, crawling feeling on skin, chills, shakes, intense extended hot flashes
Cardiovascular symptoms: tachycardia, blood pressure swings High/low, ringing in ears, vasodilation which can trigger migraines
Endocrine /hormonal imbalances: hormones don’t seem to work well and are harder to bring back into balance. menopause symptoms are more exaggerated and harder to control. blood sugar swings can present as more of an issue because the MSG causes the pancreas to secrete insulin even though you didn’t consume sugar. then the BSL dives and we see uncontrolled hunger (vagas nerve). MSG affects metabolism and can contribute to weight gain. There is evidence that MSG induces insulin resistance and leptin resistance contributing to obesity factors (look around at our children and see if I’m wrong).
Vision impairment: blurred vision, difficulty with focus, some complain of unexplained pressure around and behind eyes.
Urological: Swelling of prostate, frequent urination higher incidence of UTI’s
Children: hyperactivity, ADD/ADHD, insomnia, restless sleep, nightmares, bedwetting.

MSG is like the many named Monster.

CHECK THE LABELS on all your food products including chips, breads, cereals, soups, broths, dressings, humor me and just start looking at labels preferably before you toss it in your cart.

INGREDIENTS:

MSG MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE HYDROLYZED VEGTABLE PROTEIN HYDROLYZED PLANT PROTEIN PLANT PROTEIN EXTRACT SODIUM CASEINATE CALCIUM CASEINATE YEAST EXTRACT TEXTURED PROTEIN AUTOLYZED PROTEIN AUTOLYZED YEAST HYDROLYZED OAT FLOUR UMAMI (Umami burgers have gained popularity, what is it, it is the taste of free glutamate, coined the “fifth taste”.

FREQUENTLY CONTAINS MSG: malt extract, malt flavoring maltodextrin, bouillon, broth, stock, flavoring, natural flavoring natural beef or chicken flavoring, the use of the term seasoning and spices on the label

FREE GLUTAMIC ACID IN MANUFACTURING WHICH CAN STILL GENERATE AN MSG REACTION FOR SOME PEOPLE: enzyme extract, soy protein concentrate, soy protein isolate protein concentrate, whey protein isolate (most whey protein powders)

carrageenan, soybean milk (naturally high in glutamate and some brands add hydrolyzed vegetable protein) kombu miso, soy sauces all contain MSG. tapioca starch, citric acid made from corn and may cause reaction. avoid low fat or no fat items due to particular processing that causes the proteins to be denatured releasing glutamic acid. Fried and pre breaded foods have MSG, canned soups, I avoid Campbells soups haven’t purchased any of their products in well over 30 years! Pre-made frozen foods, dinners, and some lunchmeats, beef jerky, beef sticks, ground breakfast sausage.

THE PRODUCT LABELING IS NOT ALWAYS TELLING THE TRUTH, WHEN THE FRONT STATES MSG FREE: check the label and if you find autolyzed yeast extract, or yeast extract, maltodextrin. the way the ingredients are processed actually creates a version of MSG meaning you can still physically react.

I know this sounds overwhelming and it’s meant too, because these food additives are causing trickle effect health issues that are hard to get on top of when you’re not connecting to the source. I avoid eating soup out at any restaurant and I LOVE soups, because its in there, salad dressings, sauces (premade) meat tenderizer on steaks, breading on meats/fish/onion rings. Any chips that are flavored like Doritos, and many others.

Order the book called Excitotoxins The Taste That Kills by Russell Blaylock, M.D.

People who struggle to get on top of their migraine headaches, gastrointestinal issues that won’t go away, check the behavior of your children, do they break out in rashes on their faces, red cheeks and ears, emotional outbursts from angry to uncontrollable crying, sleep pattern all over the place, hyperactive, learning curve issues. CHECK the foods and (if you know you are sensitive to MSG, check your supplements and protein powders that probably have L-glutamine because its a glutamate derivative you may respond poorly), you are feeding them, and remember how I said adding it to the foods makes them more addictive. I hear this all the time from parents, its ALL they will eat, AND trying to remove it generates meltdowns. Folks that’s a real problem.

I’m begging you to choose to prove me wrong, educate yourself start digging.

Depending on exposed someone has been and for length of time, and because MSG affects so many of our body systems and organs, repair and detox can be a challenge. If you’d like assistance nutritionally with this…. I am very familiar as I am very affected physically by MSG myself so I did a deep dive years ago.

Dr. Jodi 🙂